Rotherham Council plans to spend £10m on road repairs

Councillors have promised to spend the money on top of the extra £5m put into last year’s budget, which they say has so far improved more than 70 roads.

Council leader Chris Read said there was still ‘plenty more to do’, with potholes ‘blighting journeys across the borough’.

The council said the investment was a direct response to concerns of residents and would bring the standard of roads in the Rotherham area up to the national standard.

Coun Kath Simms, cabinet member for roads, said: “It is thought that the backlog of works required to bring Rotherham’s roads up to the national average standard is £10 million, so that’s the commitment we want to make going forward. We will match the council’s capital investment with the priorities of residents.”

The money for road maintenance will come from the council’s planned capital programme, which can be used to fund infrastructure but not day-to-day services.

The council’s new capital strategy and programme will be formally considered by councillors over the next few weeks.